By Paul Joyce

When people had the duty of introducing Professor Elizabeth Waters, they sometimes referred to her as a "force of nature".

'Force of nature': Elizabeth Waters

Her passion was public health, and she worked very effectively in the promotion of good health in children, families and communities. She once said she was fuelled by 'justice, equality, vulnerability and rights' and she had a talent for creating programs with lasting value.

Liz's energy and passion drove her from registered nurse to professor of child public health in the first 15 years of her career. During these years, as well as working full time, she completed three degrees and had two children. She completed a DPhil research degree at Oxford University in 18 months but, despite such a busy working life, Liz was extremely dedicated to her family.

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She also had a passion for French champagne, enjoying the company of good friends and the sound of popping corks. Her infectious laughter, smile and happy nature would light up these events. The same good nature was on display in her professional life, where she delighted in the achievements of her team, both professional and personal, especially the birth of babies. Her warmth towards people was genuine. It drew people in and it drew people together.

One of her early achievements has turned out to be one of the most enduring: The Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life Questionnaires for Children, developed with colleague Professor Dinah Reddihough and the research support of Dr Elise Davis. These are used around the world in many different languages. More recently, as the inaugural Jack Brockhoff chair of Child Public Health at the University of Melbourne, and director of the Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, she was able to work towards her goal of a healthy life for every child – recruiting, developing and mentoring a team of researchers who shared her strong vision of public health. Her close relationship with the board of the Jack Brockhoff Foundation continued throughout her time as chair. Liz's inclusive style and talent for making people feel valued were integral to her successful leadership, collaboration and influence on public policy.

In 1996 she attended the Adelaide Colloquium of Cochrane, the international collaboration dedicated to informing health decision-making with the best evidence from across the world, and so began a 20-year journey as an influential leader within the Cochrane Collaboration. Determined that evidence should have an impact on the health of populations, Liz was instrumental in creating Cochrane Public Health. She was the lead author of one of the most highly cited Cochrane reviews, Interventions for Preventing Obesity in Children, and a co-author on approximately 10 others.

At the 2014 Cochrane Colloquium in Hyderabad, Liz was awarded the Anne Anderson award in recognition of her mentorship of other women in Cochrane and her value as a role model for women aspiring to leadership. Her work called for a lot of travel, and that was just fine with Liz. She loved travel, principally for the art and architecture on offer, but also for the people she could meet and collaborate with. Her keen interest in boutique hotels often ran her afoul of the bean counters at universities. Her interest in collecting up-and-coming Australian contemporary artists was pursued with a dedication that on occasion left her own finances straining.

Liz was on numerous scientific advisory committees and an adviser to the World Health Organisation. She was also on the editorial board of three international health journals, had acted as a reviewer for 16 other journals and was an author on over 250 publications. She had honorary positions at several universities in the United Kingdom and had remarkable success in attracting research funding, contributing to research supported by over $45 million.

Inseparable from her work, Liz took "study" leave only two weeks before she died and made a funding submission only one week earlier. Her death at age 48 came after a five-year battle with breast cancer.